- U.S. admits "regrettable role" in discrimination against LGBT Americans
- A legal brief filed last week by the Department of Justice is being hailed by LGBT-advocates as a historic document in the legal fight for equality for LGBT Americans. The brief cites the unconstitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in arguing that a federal employee's lawsuit over partner benefits should not be dismissed, and lays out a history of discrimination against LGBT people in the U.S. The Obama administration had earlier announced it would no longer defend DOMA, but this is the first time it has sought to convince a federal court that the law is unconstitutional. "This brief represents the concrete manifestation of a complete paradigm shift in the federal government's position on anti-gay discrimination and the constitutional rights of married same-sex couples," said Tobias Barrington Wolff, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Google/The Associated Press (7/2), Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.) (7/5)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Via Gay Politics Report: U.S. admits "regrettable role" in discrimination against LGBT Americans
Via JMG: AFA To Corporations: Don't Hire Gays
In an interview with hate group head Linda Harvey, the American Family Association's Gary Glenn said that corporations should not hire any homosexuals. Right Wing Watch has the quote.What ridiculous folly to suggest that only those individuals who engage in homosexual behavior given all of its severe medical consequences constitute the best and the brightest. It’s not really bright to engage in behavior that puts you at dramatically higher risk of mental illness and substance abuse and AIDS and cancer and hepatitis, and according to various sources, premature death. So to suggest that engaging in that type of behavior defines someone as the best and brightest, which seems to be the line coming out of corporate America, is just ridiculous.Harvey responded: "You’re right. And higher rates of domestic violence and unstable relationships. I would not think of a homosexual person as a good employment risk, I just wouldn’t."
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
In support of the Baha'i prisoners in Iran
پشتیبانی مردم برزیل از زندانیان بهایی
Brazilian people in support of the Baha'i prisoners in Iran
Brazilian people in support of the Baha'i prisoners in Iran
O povo brasileiro em apoio aos prisioneiros Baha'i no Irã
http://www.flickr.com//photos/
http://www.flickr.com//photos/
Via American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER):
Dear Daniel,
Today, we reflect upon the memorable words Thomas Jefferson penned 235 years ago:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Taken together, these words define the essence of freedom.
For couples like Kris and Sandy, two of AFER’s plaintiffs challenging Prop. 8, freedom means raising their boys in a loving, stable home. It means not having to justify their relationship every time one of them tries to pick her son up from school. It means growing old together.
For couples like Jeff and Paul, the other two plaintiffs in our case, freedom means having their love recognized not only by each other, their friends, and family, but by the state. It means being able to take part in a sacred institution that is universally recognized in our country. It means supporting each other, in sickness and in health.
And for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, freedom means not being judged, bullied or harassed for being labeled as different, but instead being celebrated for who they are. It means going to school without the fear of being shoved or taunted. It means living in a home where they are loved, supported and nurtured.
Fourteen times the U.S. Supreme Court has said that marriage is a fundamental right of all individuals. Two loving, committed people should be able to pursue happiness through a special kind of bond.
This Fourth of July we have much to rejoice. Soon, all couples will be able to wed in New York. Prop. 8 has been ruled unconstitutional. The barriers blocking the federal recognition of the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples are crumbling. Never before have we been closer to realizing equality for gay and lesbian Americans.
Our fight for equality is about trying to form a more perfect union—between two people who love each other and to have that bond recognized. For too long, this country has denied equal rights to its gay and lesbian citizens. And with your help, we will achieve full equality for all.
Happy Independence Day,
 |  Chad GriffinBoard PresidentAmerican Foundation for Equal Rights |
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Via 365Gay: Culhane: But are they “bigots”?
So they are the “victims” – not those of us who are denied basic equality. Read this recent interview with Gallagher in the wake of the New York victory – it won’t take you long to find the words “bigotry”, “silenced,” and – of course – “public square.” [Glug.]
This strategy makes sense, from their perspective. As it’s become glaringly apparent that they don’t have convincing legal or policy reasons for excluding us from the benefits of and protections of marriage, they attempt to shift the terms of the debate by labeling us intolerant.
Via Central de Notícias Gays: Casal Gay de Jacareí (SP) é o primeiro a se casar oficialmente no Brasil
Luiz André Moresi e Sérgio Kauffman Sousa
O cabeleireiro Sérgio Kauffman Sousa e o comerciante Luiz André Moresi retiraram no Cartório de Registro Civil de Jacareí, a certidão do primeiro casamento civil Gay do Brasil.
O documento é consequência de uma decisão do juiz Fernando Henrique Pinto, da 2ª Vara da Família e das Sucessões do município, que converteu a união estável deles em casamento. O fato histórico ocorreu bem no Dia Mundial do Orgulho Gay, 28 de junho.
Os dois se emocionaram durante a rápida cerimônia de registro civil. A mesa colocada para assinar o documento foi adornada com a bandeira colorida símbolo do Movimento LGBT. Depois da cerimônia, eles trocaram alianças, se beijaram e abriram um champanhe.
Durante discurso, Luiz André dedicou o casamento aos militantes, à Justiça em Jacareí e aos ministros do Supremo Tribunal Federal. “Estamos fazendo história”, disse Luiz. “Desde adolescente, eu queria casar, mas não com uma mulher. É um conto de fadas realizado”, disse Sérgio.
Quem também discursou foi o promotor de registros de Jacareí José Luiz Bednarski. Ele lembrou que na Constituição homens e mulheres são iguais e têm os mesmos direitos garantidos. Durante o discurso que emocionou o casal, ele afirmou que espera “que essa semente plantada hoje no futuro se transforme em uma grande árvore”.
Segundo o Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo e a Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros (ABGLT), é o primeiro caso de casamento civil Homoafetivo no país. Com a decisão, os dois se tornaram oficialmente casados e passarão a usar o mesmo sobrenome: Sousa Moresi.
“É uma felicidade imensa. Ainda estou tentando compreender esse momento histórico. A ficha precisa cair que esse é um momento que vai ficar na história. A gente luta por tantos anos e quando acontece, a gente entra em êxtase. É por isso que eu divido e dedico essa vitória a todos os militantes”, contou Luiz André.
Segundo Kauffman, o casamento civil chega após oito anos de união estável. No dia 17 de maio, eles foram ao cartório oficializar a união. No dia 6 de junho, pediram a conversão da união em casamento civil.
Segundo o TJ, o Ministério Público deu parecer favorável ao pedido, que “foi instruído com declaração de duas testemunhas, que confirmaram que os dois ‘mantêm convivência pública, contínua e duradoura e estabelecida com o objetivo de constituir família’.”
Segundo o TJ, o Ministério Público deu parecer favorável ao pedido, que “foi instruído com declaração de duas testemunhas, que confirmaram que os dois ‘mantêm convivência pública, contínua e duradoura e estabelecida com o objetivo de constituir família’.”
De acordo com o TJ, a decisão do juiz Fernando Henrique Pinto tem como principal fundamento o julgamento do Supremo Tribunal Federal, de 5 de maio, que reconheceu a união estável de pessoas do mesmo sexo como entidade familiar.
O juiz disse que, com o casamento, os dois passam a ter os direitos garantidos após a morte de um deles. "Quando há a união estável, você tem de provar quando um falece que esta união valia na data da morte. Com o casamento, basta apresentar a certidão. É uma garantia. Tanto que faço a recomendação a todos os casais, Homossexuais ou heterossexuais, que vivam em união estável para que se casem."
Via Miami Herald: Brazil judge OKs country's first gay marriage
By BRADLEY BROOKS
Associated Press
SAO PAULO -- A Brazilian state judge on Monday approved what the court said is the nation's first gay marriage.
Sao Paulo state Judge Fernando Henrique Pinto ruled two men could convert their civil union into a full marriage. Brazil's Supreme Court cleared the way in May for the recognition of same-sex civil unions, but stopped short of approving gay marriages.
A court statement said Pinto made the decision based on the top court's ruling on civil unions and on Brazil's constitution, which outlines how a civil union can be converted into a legal marriage.
Benjamin Polastri, a spokesman with the Sao Paulo state Attorney General's Office, said it was not immediately clear if the ruling set a strong national precedent. Polastri also said the just-approved gay marriage was the first for South America's biggest nation.
Jose Luiz Bednarski, a lawyer for the Sao Paulo state attorney general, said in an opinion presented to Pinto that the marriage was legal.
"The federal constitution establishes as a fundamental objective of the Federal Republic of Brazil to promote the good of everyone without bias of gender or any other form of discrimination," Bednarski wrote. "This certainly includes the choice or sexual orientation of a person."
In the Brazilian legal system, judges often seek the opinion of a state or federal attorney general about a case.
Sao Paulo state Judge Fernando Henrique Pinto ruled two men could convert their civil union into a full marriage. Brazil's Supreme Court cleared the way in May for the recognition of same-sex civil unions, but stopped short of approving gay marriages.
A court statement said Pinto made the decision based on the top court's ruling on civil unions and on Brazil's constitution, which outlines how a civil union can be converted into a legal marriage.
Benjamin Polastri, a spokesman with the Sao Paulo state Attorney General's Office, said it was not immediately clear if the ruling set a strong national precedent. Polastri also said the just-approved gay marriage was the first for South America's biggest nation.
Jose Luiz Bednarski, a lawyer for the Sao Paulo state attorney general, said in an opinion presented to Pinto that the marriage was legal.
"The federal constitution establishes as a fundamental objective of the Federal Republic of Brazil to promote the good of everyone without bias of gender or any other form of discrimination," Bednarski wrote. "This certainly includes the choice or sexual orientation of a person."
In the Brazilian legal system, judges often seek the opinion of a state or federal attorney general about a case.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/27/2287957/brazil-judge-approves-countrys.html#ixzz1R2yclV5h
Via JMG: RHODE ISLAND: Gov. Lincoln Chafee Signs Civil Unions Bill Into Law
Against the vehement objections of some LGBT rights groups, today Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed his state's controversial civil unions bill into law. The new law includes a section that says no religious organization -- including some hospitals, cemeteries, schools and community centers -- or its employees may be required to treat as valid any civil union, providing a religious exemption "of unparalleled and alarming scope," Chafee said in a statement. As a result, a civil union spouse could be denied the right to make medical decisions for his or her partner, access to health insurance benefits, property rights in adjoining burial plots or family memberships at some community centers. That could cause partners significant harm at critical moments in their lives, the governor said. "This extraordinary exemption eviscerates the important rights that enacting a civil union law was meant to guarantee for same sex couples in the first place," Chafee said.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Via JMG: Nate Silver: California Voters Would Overturn Proposition 8 In 2012
Elections prognosticator Nate Silver has published another super-complicated voting trends analysis. Even though there's no plan to place a repeal of Prop 8 on the 2012 California ballot, Silver predicts that voters would overturn the measure if given the chance.
Even the relatively cautious Linear Model predicts that 54 percent of Californians would vote against a measure like Proposition 8 if one were on the ballot next year, while 55 percent of Oregonians would vote against a ban on same-sex marriage like the one the state’s voters approved in 2004. Neither prediction seems too far out of line: Oregon’s marriage ban was rejected by 43 percent of voters seven years ago, and California’s by 48 percent two years ago, and public opinion has shifted meaningfully in favor of same-sex marriage since then.
Via JMG: Matt Foreman: Celebrating Our Gains
Former NGLTF executive director Matt Foreman takes to the Huffington Post today for a thoughtful essay on why we continue to see hard-fought gains in the LGBT movement. An excerpt:While opponents of LGBT rights have at least eight national advocacy organizations with budgets of more than $10 million, the LGBT movement has just one. In fact, the annual budget of just one of the biggest opponents of LGBT rights, Focus on the Family/CitizenLink, is greater than the budgets of the 39 largest LGBT advocacy, legal and research organizations, combined. So what explains the continued traction that the LGBT movement has enjoyed in the face of such adversity? There are a lot of related factors. For example, more LGBT people are coming out and more non-LGBT people are getting to know them and are themselves becoming advocates for equal rights. There is also the influence of popular culture and celebrities, the high profile of LGBT issues in the media, and the vibrant presence of LGBT bloggers in social media. But the legal and policy advances of the last decade did not spring miraculously from the results of a public opinion poll or a single heartfelt, pro-gay acceptance speech at the Oscars. Instead, they happened because LGBT organizations made them happen.Read the full article.
Via AmericaBlogGay: Michele Bachmann's husband/strategist: Gays are "barbarians" who need education, discipline
Listen for yourself to the latest attack the LGBT community from the Bachmann family. This one comes from her husband, Dr. Marcus Bachmann, who like his wife, seems particularly obsessed with the LGBT community:
As first reported by the Think Progress blog, Marcus Bachmann, who in March was described by former Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey as part of Michele's "brain trust," was a guest on the Christian-based "Point of View" radio talk show on May 12, 2010, where he came out strongly against the LGBT community.Dr. Bachmann sure sounds like an advocate for ex-gay therapy,which he has promoted that in the past, via Think Progress: Along with offering faith-based counseling at his clinic, Bachmann also gives presentations at various conferences. In November 2005, he and Rep. Bachmann both ran sessions at a “Minnesota Pastors’ Summit” in Eden Prairie, Minnesota: hers focused on the gay marriage amendment she was trying to push through the state legislature, and his was titled “The Truth About the Homosexual Agenda.”
"We have to understand: Barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go down that road. That’s what is called the sinful nature. We have a responsibility as parents and as authority figures not to encourage such thoughts and feelings from moving into the action steps," Marcus Bachmann said.
One of the people present for Dr. Bachmann’s talk almost had to leave the room because “there was so much bile.” Curt Prins, a marketing executive who identifies as gay, reported that Bachmann believed homosexuality was a “choice” rather than due to genetics:
The climax of the presentation was when, according to Prins, Bachmann brought up “three ex-gays, like part of a PowerPoint presentation.” The trio, two white men and a black woman, all testified that they had renounced their homosexuality. “One of them said, ‘If I was born gay, then I’ll have to be born again,’” Prins recalls. “The crowd went crazy.”Now, listen:
Got that? We "gay barbarians," need to be disciplined?!!? Okay.
Via AmericaBlogGay: It's inevitable
Leading Nevada Conservative: "gay marriage is coming. Nationwide. It's inevitable"
Via The Strip Podcast, an interesting development on marriage from a hard-core conservative -- just as the GOPers are planning their presidential debate:
As the New York State Legislature works into the night on a track to become the largest state to grant marriage equality to same-sex couples, the effort to make this happen in Nevada may have hit a turning point today as well.It is inevitable.
Chuck Muth, the outspoken conservative activist whose wrath is feared by most Republican elected officials in Nevada, wrote this in his daily email blast that goes to GOPers and journalists:
Many, if not most of you won't like this but gay marriage is coming. Nationwide. It's inevitable. It's only a matter of time. It can and will be delayed, but not stopped. And eventually, it will be as acceptable as black/white marriages. The problem isn't letting gays into marriage, but having already let the government into marriage.I suspect that Muth has uttered similar views before, but it's especially notable because this missive will be read more closely than most as it also announces that the GOP presidential debate he was helping organize has been postponed from July. And I know that Muth has never been all that interested in the Sharron Angle-Richard Ziser wing of the Nevada Republican universe because he doesn't think the guvmint belongs in personal lives any more than in anything else they're in.
As an economy based almost solely on tourism and entertainment, Nevada -- and especially Las Vegas -- should accept reality, embrace the inevitable, repeal the state's ban on gay marriage, and scarf up on the tourism bonanza that would result rather than suck hind teat behind the likes of Hawaii and New York.
Would be great to see top Democrats in Nevada, like Majority Leader Harry Reid, announce support for marriage, too.
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